Cooler Master CSX Stacker 830 Red Flame Edition Review

Introduction:

Buying a case can be a trying experience for some, while others will just slap their components in the most inexpensive case they can find - regardless of looks or functionality. Then there's the other side of the fence that really wants to have something more along the lines of good looking and functional. This category can go from the best stock looking and functional case, all the way up to a custom painted, custom built PC that costs somewhere along the lines of your left leg and right arm for a system - even though you could build it thousands less. It just does not sit right with me, but some folks have more money than sense. There is another alternative - you can customize your PC case and come up with a wonderful, well executed theme and paint job. Or, you could look into the offerings that Cooler Master's CSX division. Cooler Master and Smooth Creations have teamed up to provide custom painted cases for those one-off buildups. Each series is a limited run, so why not put your top of the line components in a top of the line case - one that instantly delivers on that "WOW!" factor?

The Cooler Master CSX Stacker 830 Red Flame Edition case is custom painted and built upon the Cooler Master Stacker 830 chassis. The case is truly custom painted - it takes over 12 hours just to do the airbrushing work alone. The finish is reminiscent of a fine custom painted car, with the clear coating and fine polish work. Let's take a look and see just how beautiful this case is, and how it performs in comparison to some of the other cases in its class.

Closer Look:

The CSX Red Flame Edition chassis comes shipped in black box with the Cooler Master logo, and - CSX underneath just to let you know that this case is a little something special. The little sticker on the top of the case lets you know just what resides in the package. The side panels mirror the look of the front and rear, offering the CSX and Cooler Master logos. Black boxes usually contain nice surprises, so let's see if that holds true.

Opening the box shows just how well the chassis is protected from the rigors of shipping, with foam blocks holding the chassis tightly in place. The chassis is wrapped in plastic, as well as a cloth bag under that, providing yet another level of protection. Included in the box is a Cooler Master CSX designed shirt - just so you can show your colors. Inside the shirt is the certificate of authenticity; this verifies that your chassis is indeed part of a limited run.

The cloth enclosure surrounding the Stacker Red Flame Edition is a little special in its own right - not only is it for protection. You can use it to cover the case at the end of that all night frag fest, so that little paws don't play havoc with the artwork. Instead of just a silk screened logo on the front of the cover, CSX has embroidered its logo on the cloth, for that extra touch.

Let's take a look and see what this piece of artwork really looks like.